Expenses watchdog fuels MP anger by revealing £3m claims

Commons members were at war with their spending watchdog today after it revealed MPs were paid more than £3.1 million in expenses in the four months after the general election.

One senior Labour MP claimed staff at the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority were offering to identify MPs who had made "newsworthy claims" to the press — something it strongly denied.

Former Labour minister Tom Harris accused the authority of "disgraceful behaviour" while Commons Leader Sir George Young warned that the chamber would not tolerate "bullying".

A deluge of expenses material was published today — coinciding with Fifa's World Cup bid decision, meaning media coverage may be less than normal.

The authority released a breakdown of 22,000 claims submitted between May 7 and August 31 by 576 of the 650 MPs.

They were paid £869,812 for accommodation, of which £80,953 was claimed for mortgage interest on second homes, and spent £460,483 on travel including hotels, car hire and bicycles.

Prime Minister David Cameron claimed £2,581.13 in total, including £2,408.75 for an annual subscription to the Parliamentary Resources Unit, which conducts research mainly for Conservative MPs, while Chancellor George Osborne claimed £582.62.

Labour leader Ed Miliband claimed £2,066.27, including more than £1,600 for rented accommodation.